SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Emme Shearer reached 1,000 career points, but the Portland Pilots still fell 66-58 to the Santa Clara Broncos at the Leavey Center.
The Pilots (17-10, 9-4) had three players score in double figures, led by McKelle Meek, who had 13 points, four assists and three steals. Maisie Burnham added 11 points, nine rebounds and two steals and Lucy Cochrane helped out with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Portland defense caused its share of mistakes in Saturday's game, forcing 20 Santa Clara turnovers with 12 steals. Those takeaways turned into 21 points on the offensive end of the floor. Meek's three steals led the way individually for the Pilots.
How It Happened
Portland struggled out of the gate, falling behind 17-4 at the end of the first quarter. Portland finally responded with a 6-0 run, punctuated by a bucket from Cochrane, to narrow the deficit to 19-10. Santa Clara still held the advantage most the quarter, leaving the Pilots trailing 30-18 heading into halftime.
Santa Clara continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 44-26 before Portland finally trimmed the lead to 44-31 with 1:14 to go in the third. The Pilots continued to reduce the Santa Clara lead, shrinking it to 45-35 by the end of the third quarter. Portland took advantage of eight Santa Clara turnovers in the quarter, scoring seven points off of takeaways.
Portland came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Dyani Ananiev's three, to shrink the deficit to 45-41 with 8:45 to go in the contest. Santa Clara responded and outscored the Pilots the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 66-58.
Game Notes
» Emme Shearer reached 1,000 points for her career on Saturday.
» Portland lost despite a 39-34 rebounding advantage.
» The Portland defense forced 20 turnovers with 12 steals.
» Portland cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 18 offensive boards in the game.
» McKelle Meek led the Pilots with 13 points. It's the first time this year she's scored in double digits in back-to-back games.
» Portland got a game-high nine rebounds from Maisie Burnham.
Up Next
The Pilots take on the San Francisco Dons back home at the Chiles Center. It will be senior night for the Pilots as well. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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